Utah man attacked in third anti-gay assault in recent weeks

A Utah gay man was attacked in the early morning hours on Thursday — the third anti-gay attack in the Salt Lake City area in recent weeks.

Cameron Nelson said he was attacked at his place of employment, that his assailants called him “faggot” and other slurs, and said he believes he was assaulted because of his sexual orientation.

Nelson was on the job at an American Fork hair salon when he said two or three people began beating him up and yelling anti-gay slurs at him.

The 32-year-old was taking out the garbage at the salon near Center Street and 100 North at 12:45 a.m. when the assault began. Nelson said he is gay and that he believes that was why the attackers, whom he did not know, targeted him.

Sgt. Gregg Ludlow of the American Fork Police Department called the remarks made toward Nelson “disgusting” and said the actions of Nelson’s attackers were “quite repugnant.”

On Aug. 26, Dane Hall, 20, was attacked and brutally beaten outside Club Sound in Salt Lake City after leaving the dance club on “gay night.” Hall lost six teeth, suffered a broken jaw in multiple places and a piece of broken bone was shoved into his brain when his attackers “curbed” or “curb stomped” him.

Earlier this year, another gay man, 21-year old Jordan Corona, was also attacked from behind by several assailants after leaving Club Sound on “gay night.” Corona was treated for a concussion as a result of the attack, he said.

In the third recent assault, a group of men broke into a gay man’s Salt Lake City apartment and beat up his boyfriend.